Vets struggling to treat rhino

In safe hands: A ranger feeding Puntung at her forest paddock in Sabah.

KOTA KINABALU: Veterinarians are seeking the help of South African rhino specialists to save ailing Puntung – one of the last three surviving Sumatran rhinos in Malaysia – which is suffering from an abscess deep inside her upper jaw.

But first, the Borneo Rhino Sanctuary has to obtain a radiograph of her and she has not been cooperating.

“Whenever we try to get her X-rayed, Puntung becomes irritated because of the pain and injections, as well as the attention focused on her,” the sanctuary’s manager Dr Zainal Zainuddin said.

He added that the rhino specialists in South Africa need to see the image to analyse the abscess before they decide how to proceed.

Heavy downpour over the past four days did not help with the situation as well when rain converted Puntung’s enclosed paddock into a big muddy pool.

Sabah Wildlife Department director Augustine Tuuga said Puntung’s recovery is by no means certain but he was cautiously optimistic.

“We are ready for any new development, and any outcome,” he said.

Puntung’s condition was made public on Wednesday, and she suffered further for the next two days before getting better.

“Normally, she consumes about 30kg of fresh leaves and twigs daily but she ate very little over those two days, and was mostly lethargic in her wallow.

“There was intermittent bleeding from her left nostril. We really thought there was no more hope,” Tuuga said, adding that Puntung eventually became more active and the bleeding stopped by Saturday.

Datuk John Payne, executive director of Borneo Rhino Alliance, the non-governmental organisation tasked with managing the rhinos at Borneo Rhino Sanctuary in Tabin Wildlife Reserve, said a combination of constant attention, antibiotics, fruits and various supplements might have helped.